MIT East Campus - Kendall Square Gateway | Cambridge

Equilibria

Equilibria

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Apologies if this already has a thread...

http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/updates

MIT has selected architects for five new Kendall Square buildings that will be arranged around a new campus green and underground parking garage adjacent to Kendall Square.
From the link:

Site L – Elkus|Manfredi Architects will design the building at Site L, which will be a high-rise residential building with ground floor retail space. The building will include a mix of units, including innovation units and affordable units, to meet the diverse housing needs of the Cambridge community.

SITE: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.362...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSGzCH9PeuiBUD1hUSG9Tnw!2e0

Site N –Perkins+Will will design the building at Site N, which will be a high-rise commercial office/lab facility designed to provide space for science and technology companies seeking to locate or expand in the innovation cluster around MIT.

SITE: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.361...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sYItOvetNni781bNLAJpWvQ!2e0

Site O –NADAAA (design architect) and Perkins+Will (architect of record) will serve as the design team for the building at Site O, which will include graduate student housing, a child-care facility, academic space, and retail space on the ground floor.

Site P –Weiss/Manfredi will design the facility at Site P, which is a commercial office building that will include space for the MIT Museum on two of the lower floors, as well as ground floor retail space.

Site Q – The area designated as Q represents open space and underground parking. We have issued requests for proposals to landscape architects for the design of the open space, and will follow the same committee selection process we used to select architects. Perkins+Will will design the underground parking garage.

Site S –nARCHITECTS will design the small building at Site S, which will include office space and ground floor retail.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Good to see some actual green space at MIT to feel like an actual campus where people can leave their concrete bunkers.

Goodbye parking lot out back......
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Goodbye my former residence too, I guess.

Edit: Also the new crosswalk closer to the bridge will be much appreciated.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Looks like an awesome plan. Didn't see any time frame given though...does anyone have any details?
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Replacing Eastgate is a huge mistake. First off, it's the tallest building in the city so you're already lowering the bar and making a squat city that much squater. Second off, it's 30 stories of affordable student housing! Let me repeat that... 30 stories! I thought we were trying to get more residents into this area, not less. There is no use for this site that can be more efficient than what is already there. Leave it alone.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

DZH22 said:
Replacing Eastgate is a huge mistake. First off, it's the tallest building in the city so you're already lowering the bar and making a squat city that much squater. Second off, it's 30 stories of affordable student housing! Let me repeat that... 30 stories! I thought we were trying to get more residents into this area, not less. There is no use for this site that can be more efficient than what is already there. Leave it alone.
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For what it's worth, Site M has not been assigned an architect and may be a longer-term vision:

"The formal design process will launch with a focus on Sites L, N, O, P, Q and S (described below). The programming and design for Site M, which will serve as future lab space, and Site R, which will be the site of a future academic building, will be defined later."
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

I know the land is just to valuable for residential, but they should add some serious height bonuses for those that do. Volpe rebuild should have a high rise residential. Also, walk down Mass Ave in Central and look at all the 1-2 story buildings. Combine them all and you could add another 1000 apts on that strip alone pretty easily. Cambridge would flip tho.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

As a former resident of Eastgate, I see sort of why they might want to replace it... deferred maintenance has taken its toll (elevators that fall, leaks when raining, fire alarms that go off randomly), and a significant renovation may (some claim) trigger the need for ADA compliance, which could reduce the number of units (personally I think the units are the perfect size for cheap apartments) and greatly increase the price.

I think they should build a new residence AND renovate Eastgate (while replacing the fenced yard with a new few story building. They could maintain a playground and picnic area above the new building). The value of nearby affordable graduate student housing to the university is huge.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Equilibria said:
For what it's worth, Site M has not been assigned an architect and may be a longer-term vision:

"The formal design process will launch with a focus on Sites L, N, O, P, Q and S (described below). The programming and design for Site M, which will serve as future lab space, and Site R, which will be the site of a future academic building, will be defined later."
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Certainly hope it's the case that Eastgate is kept. On the map the tower footprint is outlined (as opposed to missing altogether) so it could be a case of only redeveloping the surrounding lot. Demolition would be a criminal waste of a valuable existing resource but, given the Cambridge moonbat tendency of irrational opposition to height (hello Sullivan courthouse), preservation is by no means a given.

Also, it seems like the same kind of open space overkill as North Point.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Brad Plaid said:
Also, it seems like the same kind of open space overkill as North Point.
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It's a college campus. That's probably a quality MIT is purposely pursuing.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

It's an urban college campus in one of the most important technology/medical research centers globally so is this the best and highest use for the land? I would say no. I'd rather see more cancer labs than more grass.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

This is an instance where I will disagree. MIT is woefully short on communal space with grass. The common areas and quads right now are too much concrete, uncomfortable concrete benches, and single tress here and there. This change will do a great jobs of turning some of the campus inside out. Right now students are all indoors and utilize all the interconnecting buildings. Hopefully this will encourage more and more of them to be out, and studying in the quad.

This was the starkest difference I noticed when I came to Kendall. I figured once I got past the initial barrier and into the campus, I'd find some good surroundings as found over at Harvard. It was almost painful the way I walked and walked and found naught but concrete.

I've been going to Northeastern for the last 5 years, and again I find a much more friendly urban campus with inviting shared outdoor spaces, and some nice hidden grassed areas with plenty of trees to give some quietude and outdoor study or hangout space.

MIT would do well to provide some of the same, and Kendall is the right place for it. Particularly as it will benefit the students, the massive amounts of employees, and the increase in residents.

Knocking down Eastgate I will not agree with however.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

SeamusMcFly said:
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Our committee didn't get a pat on the back. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
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Ok, but he also cites the graduate housing concern that lots of posters here did.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Brad Plaid said:
It's an urban college campus in one of the most important technology/medical research centers globally so is this the best and highest use for the land? I would say no. I'd rather see more cancer labs than more grass.
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I'm with Seamus here...it's still a campus and needs to provide inviting open spaces for people. On top of that, this area isn't exactly rife with parks. There's still plenty of major development within this MIT project, and don't forget that the government is soliciting proposals as to what can be done with the Volpe Transportation Center. That could be a real game changer for both residential and lab space in the area.
 
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Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

MIT unveiling $1.2 billion plan for Kendall Square

MIT is pushing ahead with plans to turn a string of Kendall Square parking lots into six new buildings for lab space, offices and apartments, the latest bid to turn the bustling innovation district into a 24/7 neighborhood and meet soaring demand from both companies and residents to be there.

The university’s investment arm said it will file Tuesday for city approvals to build on six lots along Main Street in Cambridge. The $1.2 billion project would pour 1.4 million square feet of new development into the heart of Kendall Square and inject some much-desired student housing and open space alongside new university-owned offices and research facilities.

More at BostonGlobe.com
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Eastgate Tower:
mit2_zps2kjbfn2l.jpg


A Rendering:
mit1_zps0ajjjvvj.jpg
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

WHY THE HELL DO THEY INSIST ON DESTROYING EASTGATE?!?!?!?!?!
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

I know its just a rendering and that they purposely messed around with the spelling, but if we could get an Ippudo in Boston, I would be so happy.
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

MIT might be a wild card at Volpe.
 
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